


millenniums ago love (we were nothing more than stardust)

by carmillacatstein



Category: Elyza Lex (Fanverse), QTWD, The 100 (TV), queer the walking dead
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Fate, No Apocalypse, Romeo & Juliet mentions, Smoking, Underage Drinking, and drinks underage but that's it, literally there is no apocalypse they're just sappy high schoolers, mature because elyza swears quite a bit, there's a lot of shit about stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-07 09:49:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6799009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carmillacatstein/pseuds/carmillacatstein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alicia Clark, soon to be Valedictorian with a full ride to Berkeley, is paired up with Elyza Lex, a typical high school trouble maker, for their final English project on the text Romeo & Juliet.</p><p>or</p><p>the au where they're soulmates and don't know it</p>
            </blockquote>





	millenniums ago love (we were nothing more than stardust)

**Author's Note:**

> And here is 6,000 words of Lexark fic because why not. We need happiness in our lives. Also, I absolutely hate Romeo & Juliet but the play suits their situation so whatever. I'm a sucker for star references.  
> Trigger warnings for this piece: smoking, underage drinking, suicide mentions. Elyza smokes and drinks, and the suicide mentions are only due to the Romeo & Juliet references. If you have questions, feel free to message me for more information.  
> Follow me on tumblr for more and updates on my other works: carmillacatstein.

“Lindsie, you’ll be working with Rob. Mary, you’ll be working with Ricki. And lastly, Alicia, you’ll be working with Elyza.” Professor Kane listed off the name’s and Alicia couldn’t help but internally groan when she heard who her partner was for the final English project of the year.

She glanced sideways, locking eyes with her partner, who was smirking at her. Alicia couldn’t interpret what the expression meant, but she rolled her eyes at the cockiness in the tilt of Elyza’s lips. The classroom filled with the noise of her classmates moving to pair up, but Alicia stayed put, making sure Elyza was the one to come to her.

At first, Alicia thought that blonde wasn’t going to move. She waited, at least three minutes passing as she waited impatiently. Alicia seriously thought the stubborn girl wasn’t going to budge, until a black backpack was dropped lazily onto the desk in front of her.

Elyza loudly scraped a chair across the floor until she sat opposite from Alicia. She plopped into the chair as obnoxiously as one could, kicking her combat-booted feet up onto the desk, her jaw smacking as she chewed a piece of gum.

“So, how’s this gonna go?” Elyza drawled and Alicia finally glanced up into blue eyes.

Blue eyes that looked familiar, that felt warm despite the cool color, and Alicia had no idea why, as she had never spoken more than two words to the girl.

Alicia’s face was stern as she countered the blonde’s playful smirk. “You better not expect me to pull all the weight on this project. I expect you to at least do something.”

Elyza shrugged. “I’m not so great with all this school shit.”

“Well, I am.” Alicia snarked and the blonde smirked harder. Alicia flushed. “So you’re going to help with this and I am not going to be stuck doing all your work.” 

“Bossy.” Elyza raised her hands in a sign of defense and chuckled. “Whatever you say, Princess.”

“Don’t call me that.” Alicia said stiffly and Elyza removed her feet from the desk.

“What do you want me to do, Princess?” The sarcastic tone was dropped, though only slightly, and her Australian accent rang through even more when the comedic tone was less evident.

Alicia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, straightening her posture even more, if that was possible, at Elyza’s change. Once again, a feeling of familiarity washed over her and she cleared her throat to shake it away. “I think we’re going to have to get together outside of class sometime, so I’m going to need your number.”

Elyza’s smirk returned. “Way to be subtle.”

“What…” Alicia’s face furrowed in confusion as she trailed off. “I don’t-”

“Relax, mate.” Elyza laughed and removed the pen that had been resting behind her ear, holding back her hair. “I was only joking.” She reached forward and took a hold of Alicia’s hand, causing the brunette to pull her arm back. “Jesus, I’m just trying to write my number.”

Alicia blushed, suddenly embarrassed. She cautiously stretched out her arm and Elyza took ahold of her wrist. Her nails were painted black and goosebumps broke out along Alicia’s arm as her wrist was flipped over. Elyza’s fingers skimmed the inside of her wrist before tracing the cool tip of the pen along Alicia’s skin, prompting Alicia’s breath to hitch and Elyza to smirk once again.

“Text me, whenever you’re ready.” Alicia froze and caught Elyza’s eyes, until the bell rang and she watched blonde hair get lost in the crowd exiting the classroom as she stayed put, breathing deeply.

What _was_ that?

\----------------------------------------

Alicia’s favorite spot on campus was behind the bleachers by the football field. Their school valued sports over most education and the bleachers were raised up by a concrete platform, extending up over two stories. She loved to climb to the top and rest along the concrete ledge, behind the metal bench, hidden away from the bustle of the school, shaded from the blistering LA heat. She went there every day, to listen to music, to forget, to imagine what life would be like when she finally got out this horrible city and away from the mess that was her family.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about having Elyza there with her. This was her safe space, but when Elyza said the only time she could get together that day was immediately after school ended, Alicia wasn’t changing her every day routine for this girl.

She didn’t hear Elyza approach over the headphones in her ear, her eyes closed, and jumped as the blonde plopped down at her feet. Alicia sat up quickly, removing the buds from her ear and straightening herself out.

“Jumpy.” Elyza removed her leather jacket as she spoke, revealing tanned arms exposed by a white tank top, tattooed with dark, tribal patterns.

Alicia’s eyes scanned the markings, fascinated by the detail. She wanted to get closer, examine them further, she couldn’t tell why.

When Alicia finally tore her eyes from the design and met Elyza’s eyes, she noticed her trademark smirk immediately. Alicia blushed and looked away, pulling her books from her bag to distract herself.

“So, I think a theme analysis would be our best option.” Alicia began before noticing Elyza out of the corner of her eye. The blonde had pulled a pack of cigarettes from somewhere, one placed delicately between her lips as she raised her hand to light it. “You know smoking kills, right?”

Elyza’s laugh was golden as she exhaled, smoke billowing from her lips in a cloud. “It also relaxes.” She paused and took another drag. “Something you clearly need to learn more about.”

Alicia rolled her eyes, straightening her back once again, and continued on with her explanation. “Anyway, I’ll take the essay portion and I figured you could do the visual portion.”

Elyza let out a deep breath, dropping her shoulders. “Yeah, that’s a lot of responsibility for me so it’s probably not the best idea.” She took another drag of her cigarette before continuing. “What would I even do for a ‘visual representation’ anyway?”

“I’m sure you can handle it.” Alicia grumbled as she skimmed through her notes, already developing ideas in her head. “Make a PowerPoint, a video, draw something, I don’t know, it’s up to you.”

“Leaving it up to me is a horrible idea, Princess.” Elyza sighed. “I haven’t even read the goddamn play.”

“You didn’t even read it?” Alicia was baffled. “It’s Romeo and Juliet. How can you not?”

Elyza rubbed her cigarette out on the concrete and Alicia scrunched her nose up. “It’s a load of cheesy, romantic horse shit about two idiotic teenagers, what’s the point?”

Alicia scoffed. “It is much more than that and, maybe, if you actually read it you could see that.”

“Really, tell me more.” Elyza joked. “I’m fascinated.”

“There’s so much more to the story than just romance.” Alicia’s voice got louder as she grew passionate and Elyza watched her intently. “Shakespeare tries to tell us so much in just one play, about love, about hate, about death, about fate, about how they’re all entwined and beyond our control.”

Elyza nodded, eyes meeting Alicia’s. “Still sounds like bullshit to me.”

Alicia huffed and closed her notebook abruptly. “Whatever, I’ll just do the project by myself.”

“Wait.” Alicia moved to leave but Elyza stops her with a touch to the wrist. A spark, something warm, something familiar, traveled up her arm into Alicia’s chest.

“I’m sorry.” Elyza continued. “I just don’t really get any of that deeper meaning shit.”

Alicia hesitated before sitting back down, closer to Elyza than she was before. “Don’t you believe in fate?” She asked, trying to find something to work with.

“I like to believe I’m in control of my own life, thank you very much.” Elyza sighed, leaning back on her arms, feet dangling over the concrete ledge.

“What if we’re not though?” Alicia continued, mirroring Elyza’s position. “What if we’re all just pawns to be moved in the grander scheme of the universe?”

Elyza stayed quiet for a moment, eyes scanning the horizon before her. The sun was beginning to set and the orange rays shone brightly in her blonde hair. Alicia watched her intently.

 _Familiar._ She echoed in her head once again.

Elyza’s laughter broke the silence and Alicia blinked. “Maybe you’re right.” Alicia had to remind herself of what they had been discussing. “I can’t understand how you’re even in the same class as me, Miss Valedictorian-With-A-Full-Ride-To-Berkeley. Have you even thought about why Kane paired us up together while almost everyone else got paired with their friends?”

Alicia paused. “Bad luck?”

Elyza smiled and shook her head, a tress of golden hair falling from behind her ear into her face. “I’m failing his class. If I don’t ace this project, I won’t graduate for the second time.” Elyza sighed and pushed the lock of hair back behind her ear. “So maybe it’s fate, maybe you’ll be my saving grace and I’ll actually graduate high school this year.”

The smirk on Elyza’s face told Alicia she was joking, but the feeling in her gut said otherwise. That voice in the back of her mind, uttering the word “familiar” over and over again told her otherwise.

\----------------------------------------

The next day was Friday and Elyza had begrudgingly agreed to work on the project.

When Elyza arrived at Alicia’s house, the engine of her bike roaring as she pulled into the driveway, Alicia’s mom peered through the window with narrowed eyes.

“ _That’s_ your partner?” Her mother asked and, for some reason, Alicia blushed.

“Unfortunately.” Alicia sighed as she moved to open the door for Elyza, who had made her way up the steps of their porch rather quickly.

Elyza approached with her usual, cocky demeanor until she caught a glimpse of Alicia’s mother eyeing them from across the kitchen. Her smirk dropped immediately as she straightened her back and stretched out her hand in greeting.

“Hi, I’m Elyza. Elyza Lex.” She took a hesitant step forward and Alicia furrowed her eyebrows. “You must be Alicia’s mom?”

Alicia’s mother looked her over, then back to Alicia, before finally stepping forward to meet the blonde. “Madison.” She responded with her first name and Alicia smiled as they shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Elyza.”

Elyza nodded and pushed her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket as soon as her mother let go. “Should we get to work?”

Alicia just nodded, dismissed them from the room, and walked Elyza up to her bedroom.

“What the hell was that?” Alicia chuckled as she closed the door behind them.

Elyza took a deep breath of relief as she dropped herself onto the chair in front of Alicia’s desk. “Parents freak me out.” Alicia laughed and leant over Elyza, retrieving her computer from the desk in front of her before moving to sit on the edge of her bed. “Have you come up with an idea yet?” Elyza questioned and Alicia noticed the subject change.

“Of course I have. It’s you I have to worry about.” Alicia typed away at her computer as Elyza sighed.

“I’m not really good at, well, anything, so I’m afraid we’re pretty screwed there.” The hint of insecurity beneath the joke didn’t pass over Alicia’s head. She glanced up from her computer screen, meeting Elyza’s gaze.

“We’ll come up with something.” Alicia thought Elyza actually blushed at her words, but before she could comment, the blonde was on her feet.

Elyza peeled her jacket off before resting it over the chair. She wore the same black jeans and combat boots, but a red flannel was adorned instead of her typical white tank top. The sleeves were rolled up above her elbow, slightly exposing the edge of the tattoo Alicia had noticed the day before.

She looked strangely out of place in Alicia’s prim, organized bedroom and yet her presence felt like she belonged there.

_Familiar._

“I really think we should focus on the theme of fate we mentioned yesterday, about how much of a say we actually have in our lives.” Alicia started as she watched Elyza wander around her bedroom. The blonde was taking everything in, skimming her fingers along the spines of the books on Alicia’s bookshelf, scanning over _Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, The Princess Bride, Wuthering Heights, The Odyssey_ and more, before stopping and glancing at the framed pictures around the room, picking them up and examining them intently.

Alicia noticed she wasn’t listening immediately and simply watched the blonde examine her room. When Elyza lifted up a certain picture off her desk, Alicia finally spoke up. “That’s my dad,” was all she said at first and Elyza jumped in a startle. Alicia smiled slightly and moved to stand next to her. She pointed at the older man in the picture before moving to the woman next to him. “And that’s my mom.” She moved her finger again, to a younger male face. “My older brother, Nick.” Her finger trailed again, until it rested on her own youthful face. “And me.”

Elyza nodded, a small smile on her face. “Seems like a nice family.”

Alicia hesitated before taking the picture from Elyza’s hands and placing it back on her desk. “Yeah, it was.”

Alicia sat back on her bed and Elyza moved next to her, hesitating before speaking. “You wanna talk about it?”

Alicia didn’t. This was something she only ever talked about to people she was close with and she’d only known Elyza for a few days. But when she looked up, met Elyza’s stare, blue meeting green, her mouth moved without hesitation.

“My father died, about seven years ago.” Alicia started. “A car accident. I remember waiting for him to come home, waiting for the phone to ring, for him to call, and when it finally did ring, it wasn’t him on the other end.”

Elyza stayed silent next to her, feeling as if the story wasn’t over, like Alicia had more to say. She was right. 

“Things were really hard after he died.” Alicia continued, voice quiet and vulnerable. “My mom could barely get out of bed. And my brother…” She hesitated, taking a deep breath to collect herself. “He started using, disappearing every night, coming home high after being gone for weeks whenever he needed more cash. We tried to help him, you know. We put him in rehab, we put him in the hospital.” Alicia’s eyes drifted closed as she drew in air through her nose. “Nothing works.”

“Did he…” Elyza began to ask but the question hung open in the air.

_Did he die?_

“No.” Alicia answered immediately. “He’s still around, but only when he wants to be.”

They sat in silence for longer than either of them liked. Alicia felt exposed, wishing the blonde would just say something, but Elyza had no clue what to say.

Finally, she spoke. “That blows.”

It was only two words. Two words and had they come from anyone else, they would have seemed rude. But Elyza was looking at her with the most sincere expression she had ever seen anyone muster, one she felt like she recognized, and Alicia knew what she meant.

_Familiar._

Alicia nodded her thanks and picked up her school books in one movement. “So, if we’re going to ace this project, I think it’s best that you actually read the book.”

\----------------------------------------

_“A glooming peace this morning with it brings;_  
_The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:_  
_Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things:_  
_Some shall be pardon’d, and some punished:_  
_For never was a story of more woe_  
_Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”_

Alicia let the book fall closed in her lap as her voice trailed off. Elyza had refused to read the book on her own and had insisted Alicia read it to her.

Blonde hair was haloed around the end of Alicia’s bed as Elyza rested on her back, Alicia’s own back propped up against the headboard. Elyza sighed as she heard Alicia close the book and she propped herself up on her elbows. The sun had set outside as Alicia read and a cool breeze drifted through the open window. Moonlight glinted off of Elyza’s blue eyes as she looked up at Alicia.

“So,” Alicia began, “What did you think?”

Elyza drew the moment out, letting her eyes wander as if she was formulating a calculated response. “S’alright.” She shrugged and Alicia’s jaw dropped.

“Alright? That’s it.” Elyza nodded and Alicia huffed. “Can we please have an actual discussion about this so we can decide on a theme to focus on.”

“I thought you wanted to focus on fate?” Elyza tilted her head.

“I do, but I want to at least hear your input.” Alicia urged and Elyza sat up so they faced each other.

“Well,” Elyza ran a hand through her hair, tossing it over her shoulder, “I think Romeo is an utter knob.”

“Knob?” Alicia questioned, not recognizing the phrase.

Elyza’s eyebrow twitched. “An absolute idiot, Princess.”

“How so?” Alicia decided to go along, figuring she might be able to get a decent response from her partner.

“If he had waited another bloody second, neither of them would have offed themselves and their problems would have been solved!” She sounded exasperated, as if she couldn’t believe Alicia was even questioning her.

“But he was trying to defy fate, remember? ‘ _O, here/Will I set up my everlasting rest/And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars_ ’.” Alicia recited from memory. “He wanted to decide the fate of their relationship, wanted to be with her for eternity, so can you really blame him?”

“Well, yeah, it was his stupid choice to make.” Elyza countered.

“Maybe, if the situation had been different, he wouldn’t have made that choice.” Alicia explained, fingers flicking the corner of the worn down edges of the book in her lap. “Maybe in another life, they wouldn’t have ended up dead. But that wasn’t the case and Romeo wanted to defy fate in order to be with Juliet.”

“But we’re told in the beginning it’s their fate to die all along, so isn’t he just doing what fate wants?” Elyza questioned, a crease between her eyebrows, and Alicia couldn’t help but smile.

“And that is what we are going to write about in this paper.” Elyza glanced up at her. “You basically just wrote our thesis statement.” Elyza yanked her eyes away, a flush overcoming her cheeks as she smiled sheepishly. “I told you we could do it.”

Their eyes met once again and a pull, like magnetic friction, formed between the two. Elyza leant forward and Alicia felt the word echo again in her head. 

_Familiar._  
Alicia’s eyes closed at their proximity as she felt Elyza’s breath ghost her cheeks. She waited, felt a strand of her hair being tucked behind her ear, and opened her eyes. Elyza was still close, gazing at Alicia like she was the eighth great wonder of the world, and Alicia wondered for a second if Elyza felt it too.

_Familiar._

But before she could speak, before she could move forward and close the gap, voices from downstairs interrupted the moment. They pulled away abruptly, staring at each other, breathing heavily, before Alicia was off the bed and listening at her door.

She could easily make out the voice of her mother, distressed and tearful, before she heard the voice of her brother. It had been a week since she had last seen him, so this was bound to happen eventually, but she hadn’t expected it so soon.

She could hear her mother crying, then yelling, then crying again. She could hear her brother apologizing, then begging, then apologizing _again_. It always happened like this and with Alicia’s emotions running as high as they already had, she couldn’t take it.

She turned around and noticed that Elyza was standing close behind her, not close enough to try and eavesdrop, but to support. Elyza’s eyes were wide with worry and Alicia grabbed her school work from the bed, shoved them into her backpack, unplugged her phone from the charger, and grabbed Elyza’s wrist.

“Come on.” She whispered as Elyza picked up her own bag. “We’re leaving.”

They snuck down the stairs, no one noticing them as the others were too enthralled in the fight breaking out in the living room to pay attention to anything else. They slipped out the front door with ease, silently clasping at each other’s hands.

Elyza only dropped Alicia’s hand when they got to her bike so she could lift the seat and retrieve the extra helmet she had resting in there. She took her own off the handle bar and placed it on her head, leaving the chin strap unbuckled. 

Alicia looked at her with a raised eyebrow, holding the helmet at a distance with disgust. “Seriously?”

Elyza nodded, her fingers gliding over Alicia’s as she took the helmet from her grasp. She lifted it and put it over Alicia’s head, making a show of buckling the strap and pushing the stray hairs out of Alicia’s face. “Safety first.”

Elyza hopped on the bike, patting the space behind her. Alicia climbed on after her, much more hesitantly, and wrapped her arms around Elyza’s waist to feel secure.

_Familiar._

“Where to?” Elyza asked over the roar of the ignition as the engine kicked to life.

Alicia shrugged. “Anywhere.”

Elyza nodded, kicked the bike forward, and they were off.

\----------------------------------------

“Ladies first.” Elyza snarked as she unlocked and held the door of her apartment open for Alicia to enter. The apartment building was a run down one, slightly sketchy, and was hardly the safest place for a nineteen year old girl to be staying. But Alicia didn’t comment on that, and instead, she blushed and stepped through the doorframe into Elyza’s home.

She didn’t know what she expected exactly, but as she took in Elyza’s apartment, she realized she hadn’t expected anything else. The kitchen was unorganized, a used ashtray rested on the counter next to a few empty beer bottles. The fridge was bare, no pictures, no drawings from younger family members, nothing, and Alicia caught herself frowning. The kitchen connected to a small living room, which was in much of a similar state. A worn out, black couch rested against the back wall, underneath a window, across from a small television set. The coffee table in front of it was stained, another ashtray being the only thing adorning it. Alicia took note of the guitar case propped up against it and ran her fingers along the smooth leather.

The rest of her apartment wasn’t in the best condition, but her guitar case appeared as though she had only bought it yesterday.

“I didn’t know you played.” Alicia commented, turning to face Elyza, fingers still resting on top of the case.

Elyza seemed shy, hands in her pockets, gaze glancing away from Alicia’s. Alicia observed quickly that Elyza wasn’t exactly used to other people being in her space.

Alicia took her hand off the guitar and sat on the couch, rubbing a hand along her face. Elyza stripped her jacket off and draped it along the back of the couch before sitting on the arm, a short distance put between her and Alicia.

“So, what now?” Elyza asked, as if Alicia knew the answer.

She shrugged before standing again. “Where’s your bathroom?”

Elyza pointed down a short hallway and Alicia moved quickly before Elyza could give her any verbal instructions. Her hand clasped around the first door knob she found and she opened it before she heard Elyza’s cry of, “No, wait, Alicia!”

Alicia’s eyes scanned the darkness of Elyza’s bedroom before she flicked the light switch on. Elyza was at her back now, sighing. “Wrong door.”

Alicia looked behind her, met Elyza’s eyes, before turning back. Her jaw had dropped at the sight before her and she took a step forward into the blonde’s room.

There were drawings everywhere, of everything: landscapes taped along the walls, of waterfalls and treelines, of rivers and lakes; stacks along the bed of assortments of people, some Alicia recognized as kids from school, some were complete strangers; a desk in the corner of the room was covered in a various assortments of colors, flowers, and more.

But the most noticeable piece of work was painted onto the ceiling itself, an array of stars and constellations that practically seemed to shimmer despite not being real.

Alicia faced Elyza, who seemed even more nervous than before. Her feet were shuffling and now that her jacket was off and she had no place to put her hands, they fiddled with the frayed edge of her plaid shirt.

“Elyza,” Alicia whispered, struggling to find words, “this is incredible.” Elyza’s eyes were still on the ground as she nodded. “I’m serious. You’re incredible, Elyza.”

Blue eyes flickered up at that and pink flooded pale cheeks. 

_Familiar._

“No one’s ever really said that to me before. Well, I’ve never really shown anyone this at all before, but still,” Elyza hesitated, dropping her hands from the edge of her shirt. “Thanks.”

Alicia nodded, a small smile on her lips before Elyza sighed. “Come on, there’s more room out there than there is in here.” She pointed, in reference to the living room and she shut the bedroom door behind them.

\----------------------------------------

“Why stars?” Alicia found herself asking, her back sprawled across Elyza’s couch, head nearly in the blonde’s lap.

Elyza’s face bunched in confusion as she played dumb. “What do you mean?” She took a sip of beer, which Alicia had politely refused, as she waited for an answer.

“In your room,” Alicia started, “all those drawings on paper, most of them were done with chalk, but you painted the stars on your ceiling. Why?”

“Because they’re fascinating, if you think about it.” Elyza slumped lower in the couch, a hand resting closely next to Alicia’s hair.

Now Alicia was the confused one. “They’re just stars.”

Elyza laughed, genuinely laughed, and put her beer down on the coffee table. “And I thought you were supposed to be deep.” Alicia tilted her head backwards, skimming the side of Elyza’s thigh, so she could see her better. “Saying they’re just stars is like saying… that Romeo & Juliet is just a play.”

“What are they then?” Alicia questioned, growing fascinated by the rough sound of Elyza’s voice.

“Didn’t we already have this ultra mushy discussion about fate?” Elyza joked, her hands inching close enough to feel the soft curl in Alicia’s hair. “The stars, they’re the deciders of everything. I guess it’s quite comforting that, if the stars aligned just right something good might actually happen.”

“I thought you liked being in control of your own life.” Alicia smirked before continuing. “Besides, I hardly doubt Romeo and Juliet would feel the same way. They got screwed by the stars.”

“Did they?” Elyza asked and she sounded scared.

“Well, they died, so most people would say yes.” Alicia countered, closing her eyes at the delicate feel of Elyza’s fingers in her hair.

“But they’re together, for eternity, even if it was through death.” Elyza’s fingers moved slower through Alicia’s hair, tracing along the side of her face.

“But they didn’t survive.” Alicia weakly replied, too distracted by the relaxing touch to come up with a proper response.

“Maybe life should be about more than just surviving.” At that, Alicia’s eyes opened and connected with Elyza’s. Her stomach flooded with warmth, a wave of comfort and what felt like hope.

_Familiar._

“Maybe.” Alicia whispered, eyes drifting closed again.

“Are you tired?” Elyza questioned and Alicia nodded slowly in response. “Get some sleep. It’s late.”

With the feeling of safety still residing in her stomach and Elyza’s fingers combing through her hair, Alicia drifted off quickly.

\----------------------------------------

_War was all she knew. Blood coated her hands at all times. Guilt haunted her memories at every corner. The weight of the world, of her people, rested upon her shoulders until her knees nearly buckled under the pressure. Death was all she knew in this world, in this life._

_Until soft lips pressed against hers and she forgot about war, about guilt, about the blood on her hands, and about the people who waited for her to provide solutions. When the golden sun glinted off of blonde hair, she felt happy for the first time in years. When the charcoal covered fingers of an artist touched her skin, her knees became weak out of excitement, not fear. When she glanced into the expanse of blue sky in her eyes, she felt more grounded than ever before._

_Until it was torn away, by a bullet in her own gut, whispered goodbyes coming much sooner than anticipated, leaving so much left unsaid._

\----------------------------------------

Alicia woke abruptly, sitting up on the couch with a such a start that Elyza was at her side immediately. She couldn’t breathe, until Elyza whispered soft words of assurance beside her.

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re okay.” Her hand was on Alicia’s knee, rubbing soft circles through the material of her jeans. “You’re safe.”

_Familiar._

The word was even louder than before, after seeing what she had just seen, listening to Elyza whisper softly into her ear. Alicia ran her hands through her hair, overwhelmed, unsure of how to even process the images in her dream.

“What were you dreaming about?” Elyza’s words were unsure as Alicia remained silent. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Alicia wasn’t sure what to say, how to put what she had seen into words.

“I don’t know.” She uttered. “It’ll probably sound crazy.”

“Hey, I’m kinda used to crazy.” Elyza joked gently.

“It happened so fast.” Alicia began. “There was a war, there was blood and death everywhere.” Alicia hesitated, sneaking a glance at Elyza who was listening, with a concerned furrow to her brow. “You were there. So was I.” Elyza leaned forward at that and Alicia closed off. “I- I don’t know.” She stuttered and stood, removing Elyza from her space in order to clear her head.

Alicia started to gather her stuff, school work and books that she had scattered on the coffee table, before she froze. She hadn’t noticed before, in her frenzied state, but Elyza had been drawing as she napped. She picked up the sketch that lay atop her stuff as she heard Elyza start to mutter.

“Oh, that’s, um, not finished yet.” Her accent rang louder when she was nervous, as her words bled together like ink on paper.

But the drawing in Alicia’s hands had been done with charcoal, Alicia’s own sleeping face softly illuminated in light. She looked at peace, radiant, beautiful, and she glanced up at Elyza with awe in her own eyes.

_Familiar._

“It’s not very good.” Her hands were scratching at the back of her neck. “If you don’t like it, I can get rid of it.”

Before Alicia could answer, a phone ringing cut through the air sharply. Alicia recognized her ringtone and when she noticed the late time, she picked it up without even checking the caller ID.

“Hi, mom.” She grumbled without even listening to her mother’s response. Her voice was loud and worried, and Alicia took that as her cue. “I’m fine, mom, I’m at Elyza’s.” Her mother continued to frantically rant as Alicia finished packing her stuff, placing the drawing in her bag with the everything else. “I’m coming home now. Bye.” She hung up without another word.

“I have to get home.” Elyza nodded at her words and grabbed her jacket. “Oh, no, it’s fine. I’ll walk.”

Elyza looked stunned. “Alicia, it’s three in the morning. Let me drive you home.”

Alicia sighed and agreed, allowing Elyza to follow her out the door, and climbed onto the back of her bike once again.

\----------------------------------------

They didn’t talk for the rest of the weekend. Not that Elyza hadn’t tried. Alicia received several concerned texts over the span of two days but never responded. Instead, when each text came in, asking if she was okay, she would pick up the drawing that had taken up a permanent residence on her bedside table and simply stared at it. Her stomach would swoop every time she traced the soft lines of her jaw, her cheeks, realizing that this was how Elyza saw her.

She had no idea how to process that new information. She had no idea how to process the events of her dream, why she had seen them.

Alicia was not used to feeling lost, that was her brother’s specialty. But for the first time in her life, she simply had no idea about anything.

She was quieter than usual in English class on Monday. Professor Kane had no doubt realized it, as his brow furrowed each time he asked a question and Alicia’s hand stayed by her side rather than shooting into the air immediately.

Alicia couldn’t help but watch Elyza as the class progressed. She was sketching in a notebook, tongue poking out between her lips in concentration. Alicia wished she could get at least a quick glimpse of what she was drawing, but with the way Elyza was positioned, her back towards Alicia, shoulder obstructing the view of her desk, it was useless.

“So, the age old question,” Professor Kane’s voice drew her attention back to the class discussion. “Are Romeo and Juliet soulmates?”

It was that word that had caught her attention, drawn her focus away from the blonde across the room. She couldn’t listen to the rest of the discussion. She tried, but she really couldn’t. The word rang loudly, over and over again in her head, crashing and tumbling its way through her mind like a tidal wave against a rocky shore.

Soulmates.

_Familiar._

Alicia’s eyes moved back to Elyza whose back had shifted and was no longer facing away from her. Her body was turned slightly, shoulder now towards Alicia so she could see a clearer view of her profile. Her notebook was closed and Alicia sighed, her curiosity still unsated. But she barely thought about that as Elyza’s head turned slightly and their eyes locked.

Alicia expected to see anger in Elyza’s eyes, the regularly comforting blue now a stark, icy glare. But that was not what she was greeted with. Instead of anger or disappointment, Elyza’s eyes watched Alicia with genuine concern. Her head tilted, as if trying to communicate with Alicia without speaking.

Alicia knew what she was saying. She was asking if she had done something wrong, if Alicia was okay, if _they_ were okay, and Alicia’s stomach fluttered at how she could read Elyza so well after knowing her for less than a week.

_Soulmates._

To distract herself from the worry in Elyza’s eyes, which was simply too much for her to handle right now, Alicia slipped her phone from her pocket, typing out a message to send across the room.

Elyza’s phone buzzed and she glanced at it, after sliding it out of her leather jacket with ease.

 _Can we talk after class?_ It read and Elyza simply nodded in response. She didn’t text back before she put her phone back in her pocket, turned around, and went back to drawing whatever it was that she had been before.

\----------------------------------------

The spot behind the bleachers seemed to be their default meeting place now. Alicia made her way there, climbing the metal beams one at a time, expecting to find it empty and preparing to text Elyza to let her know where she had gone. But Elyza was already there, fiddling with the notebook, which Alicia now realized to be a sketchbook, bouncing her leg as she waited.

Alicia sighed as she sat next to Elyza, who continued to look down, not meeting Alicia’s eyes. It was a stark difference from the attitude in class, but Alicia assumed it was due to the fact that Elyza had no idea what to say.

Alicia expected she would have to speak first, she had prepared herself for it, but Elyza continued to surprise her by speaking up.

“I can’t believe you’re the type to skip class.” Elyza joked, which Alicia had come to realize could be a defense mechanism. “Shouldn’t you be in AP Latin or something like that?”

“How did you know I take AP Latin?”

“Oh, please.” Elyza shrugged with a smile, finally meeting Alicia’s eyes. 

Alicia laughed softly. She couldn’t believe how at ease Elyza made her feel. She didn’t deserve the treatment Alicia had given her over the last few days.

“I’m sorry.” Alicia whispered. Her eyes locked onto Elyza’s, not allowing her to look away.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” Elyza soothed. “An explanation would be nice though.”

Alicia nodded. She wanted to explain everything; about her dream, about what she had been feeling, about how crazy she felt because she wasn’t sure if this was all a one-sided delusion of hers. But her words were stuck in her throat as she stared into Elyza’s eyes, who seemed to realize her fear.

Elyza was the first to break their eyes contact, but only to begin flipping through the pages of her sketchbook.

“I’ve been working on the project for the last few days.” Her words were shy, mumbled beneath her breath as she stopped on the drawing she wanted.

She hesitated only a second before holding her hands outwards, placing the sketchbook in Alicia’s lap. Alicia’s hands quickly folded around the drawing as she gasped, taking in the full detail of the work.

Two black circles met in the center of the page, an intricately drawn infinity symbol spanning across most of the paper. Two colored silhouettes emerged from inside the circles of the symbol; one a deep blue, littered with gleaming stars throughout their figure, and the other a vibrant green, an outline of trees etched across their body. Their contrasting lips locked in a kiss at the meeting point of infinity.

Alicia was at a loss for words. Her breath caught in the back of her throat, a bubble of awe and wonder at Elyza’s talent. It was beautiful and she had no idea how to describe the emotion coursing through her at the speed of light.

“We’ve been discussing the concept of fate and soulmates so much lately.” Elyza began, attempting not to sound shy but failing. “And I tried to think about who the ultimate soulmates would be. The first thing that came to mind was the sky and the ground. Space and the Earth.”

Elyza had paused, expecting Alicia to comment, but the brunette was still speechless. Her fingers twitched in her lap, now twisting at the loose strings at the fray of her jeans.

“You know, ‘cause, the sky and the ground are inevitably bound to each other, yet always apart from one another. From our perspective, they’re always touching. The horizon always meets, inseparable.” Elyza raised a finger, gesturing at the skyline in the distance. She hadn’t noticed Alicia staring at her intently. “But they’re not actually touching. They only appear it. They’re light years away from each other, yet their meeting is inevitable.”

Elyza barely finished her sentence before Alicia grasped the sides of her face and pressed her lips to hers. The contact felt like everything; like the joy of coming home after a tiresome day, like the hope of finding a silver lining amongst the darkness of life, like the love that can never quite be captured by anything other than art.

Alicia felt the universe explode against her lips and everything felt right in that moment.

They pulled apart slowly and reluctantly, eyes opening leisurely. Alicia watched the steady blue, peering into the galaxy that existed behind Elyza’s eyes. She smiled and Elyza smiled back, a soft laugh tumbling off of her lips.

“Wow.” Elyza muttered as she tucked a lock of hair behind Alicia’s ear.

“Wow.” Alicia whispered back with a nod, out of breath.

Elyza watched her for a second before her face shifted into her usual smirk. “I knew you were into me.”

Alicia scoffed, throwing a hand over her forehead. “Do you have to be so obnoxious?

“Yeah, but you like it.” Elyza joked as she knocked her shoulder into Alicia’s, who met her gaze.

Green eyes met blue, the ground met the sky, and Alicia responded.

“Yeah, I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I believe there is a lexark gifset going around that is similar to the "they're just stars" scene and I'd like to say now that that scene was not meant to replicate it at all. It was complete coincidence. I saw it after I had written that scene. Take my word for it or not.


End file.
